The House of Wonders By Kirby Record and Manouchehr Hosseinzadeh The House of Wonders is a mythic tale from the imaginary Kingdom of Ajayeeb, set in the Middle East. This book is a satirical depiction of the hypocrisies of government leaders —both Eurocentric and Middle Eastern—as they ruthlessly pursue their own interests at the expense of their countries and people. The book’s protagonists consist of the uneducated and foolish Emir Hallaku, his immature teenage son, Allameh, and the Emir’s illegitimate son, Tallal Marouf, a precocious and charismatic young man, who alone might raise the consciousness of his father and preserve the Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Emir’s Queen Mother and her equally sinister paramour, General Shefiq, work ceaselessly for greater shares of the Kingdom’s power and wealth. What begins as a hilarious, even leisurely tale builds steadily into a tense thriller, as the irresistible forces of change clash with the unmovable wall of blind tradition. Will the Emir ever acknowledge Tallal as his son and do what he can to lessen the suffering of the Ajayeebian people? Can the Emir and his sons find a way to counter the dire threats, both domestic and foreign, that surround them?